Some days you are the dog, some days you are the hydrant.

Some days you are the pant leg downwind of your dog's Jean Claude Van Damme 'Bloodsport'-high 30 second pee-kick while realizing that Linkin Park lyrics are starting to "speak" to you (yikes)... Unfortunately, most days, in the world of the unemployed, you are just a fixture on the sidewalks of life getting the golden showers of failure again and again...  eek. That's unpleasant.  Anyway, it really is a big fat roller coaster that goes on in your head... but more like the kind that goes backwards and makes you want to vomit at every turn.  Good thing it doesn't last, though... It DOESN'T!  But how do you keep going?  How do you keep the motivation when you just get doors slammed in your face every day?                 Beats the shit out of me.  

Thank goodness there are others out there who can help, too.  In my recent research, I've found a bunch of Unemployment sites to do just that.  Here are a few to get started....

Stuff Unemployed People Like

Wall Street Journal's Laid Off blog

I Need a Freaking Job (if you wanna get all political.)

I Can't Find a Job

Recession Wire

If you haven't yet (like moi, ahem) Tax Tips for the Unemployed

Unemploymentality

What's so Funny about Unemployment

Hopefully some of those will help.  The funny thing is, a lot of them are kind of outdated... the good thing about that is... they've probably gotten jobs.

TGI-EFF.

Typically, for someone who is unemployed, the weekends mean very little.  Other than the lines are longer everywhere and you maaaay actually get to see and speak with human people... if you can actually afford to, that is.  Believe me, we WANT to go out, but let's face it.  The social life mostly boils down to economics.  You have to get creative when you are unemployed broke.


I mean, we're all freaking broke... but there are ways around it to be able to have a little fun... even when you are unemployed.  Now I'm just speaking from basic SINK (single income, no kids) or, well, NINK (you figure it out) point of view, but if you are looking to go out and hang with friends, make it happy hour time and find a great happy hour.  There are some decent ones out there, but there are also some AWESOME ones that you can find if you look and ask around... oh, and bring cash.  Bringing cash to a bar is a pretty novel concept these days, but holy crap it has saved me in the past.  You know what happens, so just try it next time.

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has some 'cheap (and legal) ideas' for the rest of us - obviously it doesn't have to be something amazing I just said 'happy hour' for crying out loud... but maybe something like...

- Checking out local hotel lobbies for conference cookies and juice
- First Fridays/Art Openings - usually free booze, hors d'oeuvres, decent music and great people watchin
- Listening Parties - do we have those anymore?  Cause those were awesome.

I really could use some more ideas... I'm running out.

Oh yea, and have a HAPPY WEEKEND!

Mistaken Identity Crisis

I think that was a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune... 

Identity's a tough one, man.  What you do is very much a part of who you are, whether you like it or not.  And when someone asks you - So, what do you do? - it's an easy one to answer when you are employed.  "Oh, I'm a teacher." or "I'm a chef." or "I'm an Audience Insight Specialist."  (That was an actual title of mine, and yes, it still confuses the hell out of everyone) But when you are looking for work, usually that answer isn't as easy to come by... cause nobody likes to say "uh....... nuthin".

But the good thing is,  it's not all we are about.  What you do is only a PART of who you really are.  Maybe you're a mom, maybe you're a brother, maybe you're the only single thirty-AHEM yr old in your neighborhood with a sleeve tattoo of bar stamps and duffel bags under her barely open poofy eyes walking her dog trying to piece together the events of the previous night... uh, but I'm just spit ballin, here. 

  

Unemployment (as FREAKING ANNOYING AND SUCKASS as it is) can be a good time to look at that.  Instead of basing your identity around what you do, it kinda forces you into looking at who you are and what you really like to do.  For instance, I noticed that I really like being friendly to strangers especially when they don't look at you like you are an asshole.  Weird, YES.  But kinda fun, yep, that too.  I also LOVE to cook... it's like my heroin (jesus it took me 4 times to actually spell heroin right - that's gotta be a good one to not know, right?).  Cooking is really one of my favorite activities and when friends, football and somehow music gets involved, I'm about as happy as I could be.  I like to think that who I am defines me more than what I do.  Cause, honestly, if my jobs were what defined me, I would be freaking Cybil at this point.   

So, if you are unemployed, when someone asks that dreaded "What do you do" question - tell em what you LIKE to do (but still keep in the "looking for work" part cause, again, the goal!) Right now, I'm looking for work (hellO), I cook, I write-ish and I like to make people laugh a little.... hey, I never said you had to be PERFECT at what you like to do, geez.  :)